The BBC has been shaken up by the shock announcement that the Corporation’s chairman, Michael Grade, has jumped ship to become executive chairman of ITV with immediate effect. The race to find Charles Allen’s replacement is finally over, after the appointment of Grade – a decision that no one in the industry was expecting. Various… Continue reading BBC Chairman Jumps Ship To ITV Top Job

Claims that digital video recorders (DVRs), video-on-demand (VOD) and emerging online platforms will cause the death of TV and result in the loss of billions in advertising revenue are incorrect, according to eMarketer. Audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented with the changes in TV distribution and access, but more people will watch more TV and video… Continue reading DVR And VOD Will Not Kill TV

Broadband growth is slowing in the largest European regions, according to Screen Digest. In a study comprising telcos in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, Q3 growth was 5%, down on the previous quarter and a substantial decrease from the 11% growth seen in Q3 2005. A review of growth of the broadband DSL… Continue reading Broadband Growth Slowing In Biggest EU Regions

Revenue for mobile gaming in the Asia/Pacific reached US$1.56 billion in 2005, with Japan and South accounting for around half of the region’s total for the year, according to In-Stat. Future growth drivers, however, will be the large, growing mobile markets of China and India. “While there is great growth potential with expected increases in… Continue reading Mobile Gaming in Asia Pacific Worth $1.56 Billion In 2005

The chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, Charles Dunstone, has said that the company is not yet convinced of the merits of buying content to provide a broadband television service. Speaking to The Times newspaper, Dunstone said that although the company needs a “bit of a breather” following its acquisition of AOL UK (see Carphone Warehouse… Continue reading Carphone Warehouse Not Convinced Of Merits Of Broadband TV

UBC Media’s financial results for the six month period to 30 September show the company is maintaining a strong trading position, whilst developing new digital radio models. Overall operating profit fell to £21,000 from last year’s £58,000, whilst gross profit remained at £2.4 million. Turnover for the group reached £9.1 million, slightly down on last… Continue reading UBC Results Maintain Strong Trading Position

The race is on to sign up consumers to “bundled entertainment and communications services”, with brands such as BT, Sky, MSN and Carphone Warehouse encroaching on each other’s traditional territories whilst vying for customers to stay loyal, according to Continental Research’s Autumn 2006 Convergence Report. James Myring, associate director at Continental Research, said: “Many commentators… Continue reading Communications Companies Vie For Bundled Services

Almost four billion text messages were sent during October in the UK, up 100 million more than in September, according to the latest figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA). During October, 3.8 billion text messages were sent, which was up almost 27% on the total for October 2005. Each month sees more and more… Continue reading Almost Four Billion Texts Sent In October

In September 2006, broadband connections accounted for 75.2 per cent of all internet connections, up from 72.6 per cent in June 2006 according to new research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The ONS report added that dial-up connections continued to decline and accounted for 24.8 per cent of all internet connections in September… Continue reading Three Out Of Four Internet Connections Now Via Broadband

The public demand for video downloading lags behind the industry’s recent developments, according to new figures from TNS Worldpanel Entertainment. TNS Worldpanel Entertainment monitors film, music and electronic games purchasing and usage trends of 10,000 demographically representative British individuals, aged 12 to 80. Of the 10,000 people interviewed every two weeks by TNS Worldpanel Entertainment… Continue reading Demand For Video Downloading Lags Behind Industry Developments